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DOI: 10.4172/2475-7675.1000124

Research Article Open Access

Consumers Attitude and Behavior Towards Domestic Waste Recycling in

Developing Countries: A Case Study
Bendak S* and Attili AB
Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
*Corresponding author: Bendak S, Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, University of Sharjah, PO Box 27272, Sharjah, United Arab
Emirates, Tel: +971-6-5053918; Fax: +971-6-5053963; E-mail: sbendak@sharjah.ac.ae
Received date: March 14, 2017; Accepted date: April 3, 2016; Published date: April 10, 2016
Copyright: © 2017 Bendak S, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Participation of consumers in any domestic waste recycling program is vital for its success. Many developing
countries are starting domestic waste recycling programs but little is known on the attitude or behavior of consumers
toward this issue. This presents a hurdle to the success of such programs. This paper addresses consumers’
attitude and behavior toward domestic waste recycling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A specially tailored
questionnaire was randomly distributing to a sample of one thousand consumers in UAE asking them a multitude of
questions on their attitude, behavior and practices in relation to domestic waste recycling. Results indicate that only
a small percentage of people actually participate in recycling even though they are aware of the deteriorating
environmental quality and acknowledging that recycling preserves resources and protects the environment. Results
also show that this difference between consumers’ attitude and practices might be due to some obstacles including
lack of recycling bins and the long distance needed to reach those bins. Finally, some practical solutions to improve
consumers’ participation in recycling in UAE are given.

Keywords: Domestic waste management; Recycling; Consumer’s
attitude and behavior; Environmental Quality; Environmental
protection; United Arab Emirates
Introduction
Following the industrial revolution, large quantities of waste have
been increasingly generated across the globe. The issue of managing
this waste has been increasingly gaining attention of both authorities
and the general public. Recycling is considered as the most successful
strategy to deal with post-purchased waste [1,2].
Recycling as the return of waste materials to the productive system
through utilizing them in the manufacturing of goods with the
ultimate aim of preserving non-renewable resources [3]. The author
stresses that recycling goes beyond reusing a product (such as glass
bottles) and involves the return of salvaged materials, such as plastics,
to an early manufacturing stage, e.g., melting of plastics. Therefore,
recycling helps in reducing usage of raw materials, reducing water and
air pollution and reducing the need for waste disposal [4].
In general, consumers’ participation in recycling domestic waste is
essential in any waste management system. Separation of recyclables
by consumers at the source makes the recovery process of recyclable
items much easier and more cost effective than separating them at
waste collection centers after they get contaminated with water,
organic waste, oil, and other types of waste. Therefore, separation of
recyclable materials by consumers at the source is essential for any
effective recycling effort [5,6].
Positive consumer attitude toward recycling of domestic waste (also
known as household waste) is vital [7,8]. Without public contribution,
recycling waste would not be possible. The authors stressed also that in
order to support recycling projects, it is important to understand who
recycles, why they recycle and how they recycle [9].
The literature on people’s attitude and behavior towards recycling is
diverse in terms of tools used and results obtained. For example, public
perception, through surveying a sample of households, in Ningbo city
(China) of the local environmental quality as well as people’s awareness
and willingness to make green purchases to improve environmental
quality [10]. The authors found that Ningbo residents reported not
being pleased with the city’s environmental quality and that residents
are highly willing to share responsibility of the environment. Of the
2096 respondents to the questionnaire, 64% said they have heard of the
Chinese government environmental program, 70% were willing to pay
to improve environmental quality and 80% did not mind purchasing
environmentally friendly products.
The domestic waste recycling behavior of residents of Tioman
Island, Indonesia [1]. The rapid increase in solid waste on the island
became a major environmental problem and authorities wanted to
encourage recycling as one of the solutions to this problem. The
authors investigated recycling behavior among 62 Tioman Island
residents through a structured questionnaire of 33 items. The authors
found that lack of awareness and negative behavior toward recycling
were hindering the recycling process.
In Canada, the domestic waste recycling behaviour of two
generations of South Asians in Ontario city using a combination of
semi structured surveys and interviews with 341 South Asian
Canadians [11]. Significant differences were observed between the two
groups. Second generation respondents viewed recycling more
favorably, they also indicated higher levels of recycling participation,
awareness and willingness to respond to recycling promotion and
education literature. The authors also found that source separation of
recyclables was not a common waste management practice in first
generation respondents’ country of origin. The authors added that this
lack of past participation in recycling programs might serve as a
barrier to recycling behaviour, potentially explaining differences in

Adv Recycling Waste Manag, an open access journal Volume 2 • Issue 2 • 1000124
ISSN: 2475-7675
Citation: Bendak S, Attili AB (2017) Consumers Attitude and Behavior Towards Domestic Waste Recycling in Developing Countries: A Case
Study. Adv Recycling Waste Manag 2: 124. doi:10.4172/2475-7675.1000124

Page 2 of 8

levels of recycling participation between first and second generation For the nationality question, since more than 95% of residents are
South Asians in Ontario. either UAE citizens or come from Arab countries (excluding UAE),
South, East and South-East Asia (mainly India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
It is well documented in the literature that municipal solid waste is a
Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines; hereafter referred to
lead cause of underground water contamination which, in turn, can
as Asian) or European/North American countries [19], respondents
lead to a serious toxic risk to human beings and other living orgasms in
were asked to choose one of the five mentioned options.
that area [12,13]. Recycling helps in lowering this amount of municipal
solid waste directed to landfills. This in turn helps in better The second section of the questionnaire asked respondents to
management of municipal waste and in minimizing detrimental solid choose, on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree (given a
waste effects on groundwater and soil quality [12,14]. weight of 5) to strongly disagree (given a weight of 1), the best option
that corresponds to their awareness, attitude and/or practices relating
The above literature reveals that recycling of domestic waste would
to 13 statements on recycling and the environment. These statements
not be possible without the contribution of the public. Peoples’ attitude
were as follows:
is found to be the key to the success of any recycling program.
Therefore, it is very important to understand consumer’s attitude and 1. I think recycling is important
behaviour toward recycling programs. People seem to have the 2. Recycling helps prevent wasteful behaviour
awareness and positive attitudes toward the disposal of waste materials 3. Recycling makes the world a better place
[15]. However, positive attitudes do not guarantee participation in
4. Recycling is a waste of time
waste management programs [16-18]. Therefore, and in order to
5. Each consumer can contribute to solving the waste problem
enhance recycling projects, it is very important to understand who
recycles and why and how do they recycle. 6. Recycling benefits are worth my time and effort
7. Governments should force producers to use recyclable materials
The United Arab Emirates, also known as UAE, is one of the six gulf in their packaging
countries located in the southeast end of the Arabian
8. It is my personal responsibility to help in the recycling effort
Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia to the south and Oman to the east.
The country is a federation of seven emirates with a total area of 9. Recycling is a great help to environmental protection
71023.6 Sq. km. In 2013, the total population of UAE was 9.2 million, 10. It is useless to recycle while only few people are doing that
with 1.4 million of them being Emirati citizens and the remaining 7.8 11. I’m concerned about the environment
million being expatriates [19]. 12. I’m concerned about global warming
Given the fact that UAE is considered a high-income country, 13. Environmental quality is deteriorating
official statistics show that the total amount of waste generated in 2013 The third section asked respondents to estimate the percentage of
was in excess of 27 million tons. This translates to approximately 2.7 five different consumable materials they recycle, namely plastics,
kilograms of waste per person per day [19]. No official statistics are aluminum, glass, metals and textiles. Respondents could choose
available on how this amount is distributed among the different types among five possible responses as follows: ≤ 10% (weight: 1), 11-35%
of waste. (weight: 2), 36–65% (weight: 3), 66–89% (weight: 4) and ≥ 90%
The aim of this paper is to examine consumers’ attitude and (weight: 5). The one to five weight given is for statistical analysis
behaviour towards domestic waste recycling in UAE and to put purposes.
forward some suggestions to improve participation in recycling. This The fourth and last section of the questionnaire consisted of six
will ultimately contribute to minimizing waste and preserving the questions given in Table 1.
environment knowing that no published articles on consumers’
attitude and behaviour within the UAE context, to the knowledge of Questions Answers
the authors, exist in this area.
How do you receive information Leaflets/posters
about recycling? (tick all
General perception/knowledge
Methodology applicable)
Newspaper articles
Neighbors
Questionnaire
Internet
It is clear from the published literature that most studies assessing Radio/television
people’s attitude and behaviour towards recycling utilized structured
School/university lessons
questionnaires. In the current study, a questionnaire of four sections
was developed and distributed. The first section enquired about How recent have you received In the last month
demographic data of respondents as follows: information about recycling?
In the last 6 months
Age (<20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, >51) In the last year
In the last 2 years
Gender
None that you know of
Nationality (UAE, Arab, Asian, North American/European, other)
Why do you recycle? (tick all Recycling saves energy
Highest level of education achieved (high school or lower, diploma, applicable)
Recycling reduces landfills
bachelor, masters or higher)
Recycling preserves resources and protects
Marital status (single, married, divorced, other) the environment

Adv Recycling Waste Manag, an open access journal Volume 2 • Issue 2 • 1000124
ISSN: 2475-7675
Citation: Bendak S, Attili AB (2017) Consumers Attitude and Behavior Towards Domestic Waste Recycling in Developing Countries: A Case
Study. Adv Recycling Waste Manag 2: 124. doi:10.4172/2475-7675.1000124

Page 3 of 8

Recycling is good for the economy
Others
How convenient do you find Very Convenient
recycling?
Convenient
Neutral
Slightly inconvenient
Not convenient at all (long distance to
recycling bins)
Do you think there are enough Yes.
paper recycling bins?
No.
I don’t know/not applicable.
What would encourage your Short walking distance to recycling bins
participation in recycling? (tick
More recycling bins
all applicable)
Mass media education and promotion
Additional benefit redeeming from recycling.
More frequent waste collection.
Clear recycling guidelines.
Introduce laws and regulations that enforce
and regulate recycling.
Table 1: Questions of section 4 of the questionnaire.
The targeted sample size in this study was 1000 so data collection
stopped when the number of responses reached 1000. However, 11
questionnaire responses had to be discarded due to invalid or missing
responses. Therefore, data from 989 valid questionnaires were
evaluated. This is deemed enough when compared to similar studies in
other countries like 1000 in Nigeria by Nnorom et al. [2] and in
England by Evison and Read [20]. The survey was distributed
randomly to potential respondents in English and Arabic and the
respondent had the choice of answering the questions in either
language if they chose to participate.
Data collection took place between March and June 2016. The
questionnaire was distributed randomly to potential respondents
across all emirates of the UAE on a face to face basis. After giving a
short briefing on the study, people were asked if they were willing to
participate. Participation rate was more than 70% while no
information was collected on non-respondents.
Descriptive statistics were used first to explore the responses. Then
for gender, a t-test was done to check its effects on output variables
explored in the questionnaire. As normality of all other demographic
factors in the survey (i.e., age, nationality, education and marital
status) could not be assumed due to the limited number of response
levels (between three and five), a non-parametric test, namely Kruskal-
Wallis one-way analysis of variance, was done using SPSS version 22.
Significance level adopted in this study is α=0.05.

All questionnaire contents were based on previously developed and Results

validated surveys. Specifically, statements of the 2nd section of the
questionnaire except the last three, section 3 and questions 3 and 4 of
the 4th section were based on similar items in a survey conducted by
Latif and Omar [1]. The last three statements of the 2nd section was
based on the work of Nnorom [2]. Questions 1 and 2 of the 4th section
are based on questions developed by Evison and Read [20]. Finally, the
last two questions of the 4th section were based on a survey on
recycling that was published online on Survey Monkey website
(www.surveymonkey.com). It should also be noted that many
questionnaire items were altered to suit the UAE context.
Demographic characteristics of those who responded to the survey
are given in Table 2. As can be seen in this table, respondents
represented a wide variety of people in terms of all demographic
characteristics, i.e. age, gender, nationality, education level and marital
status. Responses to the 2nd section of the questionnaire are given in
Table 3.

Age <20: 7.8% 20-29: 2.8% 30-39: 27.3% 40-49: 6.9% >50: 12.8%

Gender Male: 44% Female: 56%

Nationality UAE: 25.3% Other Arab: 49.5% Nth Amer./Europ: 4.2% Asian: 14.8% Other: 6.3%

Education level High school or lower: 21.5% Diploma: 10.7% BSc: 61% MSc or higher: 6.8%

Marital Status Single: 32.3% Married: 66.6% Divorced: 0.8% Other: 0.3%

Table 2: Demographic characteristics of questionnaire respondents.

Neither agree nor Strongly

Questions on recycling Strongly agree Agree Disagree
disagree disagree

1) I think recycling is important 67% 31% 2% 0% 0%

2) Recycling helps prevent wasteful behaviour 48% 43% 8% 1% 0%

3) Recycling makes the world a better place 54% 42% 3% 1% 0%

4) Recycling is a waste of time 2% 6% 7% 39% 46%

Adv Recycling Waste Manag, an open access journal Volume 2 • Issue 2 • 1000124
ISSN: 2475-7675
Citation: Bendak S, Attili AB (2017) Consumers Attitude and Behavior Towards Domestic Waste Recycling in Developing Countries: A Case
Study. Adv Recycling Waste Manag 2: 124. doi:10.4172/2475-7675.1000124

Page 4 of 8

5) Each consumer can contribute to solving the waste

53% 39% 7% 1% 0%
problem

6) Recycling benefits are worth my time and effort 38% 47% 11% 4% 1%

7) Governments should force producers to use recyclable

42% 41% 14% 2% 1%
materials in their packaging

8) It is my personal responsibility to help in the recycling effort 46% 43% 9% 1% 1%

9) Recycling is a great help to environmental protection 57% 34% 8% 1% 0%

10) It is useless to recycle while only few people are doing

4% 16% 10% 38% 32%
that

11) I’m concerned about the environment 38% 48% 14% 1% 0%

12) I’m concerned about global warming 33% 37% 27% 2% 1%

13) Environmental quality is deteriorating 34% 41% 23% 2% 0%

Table 3: General perception towards recycling.

Table 3 shows that 98% of respondents either strongly agree or agree
that recycling is important, 91% strongly agree or agree that recycling
helps prevent wasteful behaviour and 96% strongly agree or agree that
recycling makes the world a better place. Interestingly, no one among
the 989 respondents indicated their strong disagreement with the first
three statements. When asked if recycling is a waste of time, 46%
strongly disagreed and 39% disagreed while 6% agreed and only 2%
strongly agreed.
Out of the 989 respondents, 92% strongly agreed or agreed that each
consumer can contribute to solving the waste problem. Moreover, 85%
indicated that they strongly agree or agree that recycling benefits are
worth the time and effort spent while 83% strongly agreed or agreed
that governments should force producers to use recyclable materials in
their packaging. Also, 89% said that it is their personal responsibility to
help in the recycling effort while 91% indicated their strong agreement
or agreement that recycling is a great help to environmental protection.
For statement 10, 70% indicated their strong disagreement or
agreement that it is useless to recycle while only few people are doing
that.
Statements 11 and 12 revealed interesting outcome. While 86% of
respondents indicated that they care about the environment, only 70%
indicated caring about global warming. Finally, 75% of all respondents
indicated that they agree or strongly agree with the statement that
environmental quality is deteriorating.
As for the 3rd section of the questionnaire, reported percentages of
materials recycled by respondents are given in Table 4.
Based on the responses, it is very clear that very little aluminum,
glass and metals is being recycled with 83% or more of respondents
reporting recycling less than 10% of what they produce. Recycling of
plastics turned to be higher with 73% reported recycling less than 10%.
The case is different when it comes to textiles where 52% reported
recycling less than 10% and 17% reported recycling more than 90%
with the remaining 31% lying in between.
The first three questions of section 4 were designed in a way that
allows respondents to choose one or more applicable answers.
Responses (in percentage terms) to the first question of this section on
ways where respondents are getting their information about recycling
from are presented in Figure 1. As can be seen in the figure, the
internet is reported to be the leading source of information on
recycling according to 73% of respondents. The internet is followed by
other means like radio/TV channels (24%), printed materials like
posters and leaflets (20%) and newspaper articles (19%).
Responses to the second question on the reasons for recycling are
given in Figure 2. As can be seen in that figure, 65% of respondents
indicated the reason as to protect the environment followed by being
good for the economy (35%) and to reduce landfills (32%).

≤ ≥ 90%
11%-35%(2) 36%-65%(3) 66%-89%(4)
10%(1) (5)

Plastics 73% 14% 7% 4% 1%

Aluminum 89% 7% 2% 1% 1%

Glass 83% 11% 4% 1% 1%

Figure 1: Responses to “How do you receive information about
Metals 89% 6% 3% 1% 1% recycling?” question.
Textiles 52% 12% 13% 6% 17%

Table 4: Percentage of materials recycled.

Adv Recycling Waste Manag, an open access journal Volume 2 • Issue 2 • 1000124
ISSN: 2475-7675
Citation: Bendak S, Attili AB (2017) Consumers Attitude and Behavior Towards Domestic Waste Recycling in Developing Countries: A Case
Study. Adv Recycling Waste Manag 2: 124. doi:10.4172/2475-7675.1000124

Page 5 of 8

information about recycling? In the last year 20%

In the last 2 years 11%

None that you know

26%
of

Very Convenient 11%

Convenient 15%
How convenient do you find
Neutral 11%
recycling?
Slightly inconvenient 30%

Not convenient at all 33%

Yes 20%

Figure 2: Responses to “Why do you recycle?” question.
Responses to the third question on recycling encouraging factors are
given in Figure 3. Responses of this question indicate that more
recycling bins (48%), short walking distance to recycling bins (42%),
more redeemed benefits (30%), introducing enforcing laws (28%) and
more education and promotion on recycling (27%) would encourage
recycling. More frequent collection (21%) and clearer recycling
guidelines (18%) were the least reported encouraging factors for
recycling.
Do you think there are enough paper
No 65%
recycling bins?
I don’t know/NA 15%
Table 5: General recycling questions.
As mentioned earlier, an unpaired t-test was done to test the effects
of gender on output variables and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of
variance was done to test the effects of other demographic
characteristics. Significant results due to gender differences are given
in Table 6. Although all questionnaire items listed in Table 6 indicate a
statistically significant difference between males and females, these
differences were negligible in real-life terms, except for recycling
textiles. Females have indicated recycling textiles more than males and
this difference was both statistically significant and visible (2.5 vs.
1.989).

Mean p-value
Question
Male Female

Statement 9 4.43 4.527 0.04

Plastics 1.279 1.451 0.002

Aluminum 1.066 1.159 0.004

Glass 1.143 1.265 0.003

Figure 3: Responses to “What would encourage your participation Metals 1.111 1.199 0.027
in recycling?” question.
Textiles 1.989 2.5 0

How Convenient 3.621 3.347 0.004

Responses to the last three questions of section 4 on consumer
attitude are given in Table 5. As can be seen in that table, 26% of
respondents indicated not receiving any messages on the importance Table 6: Significant effects of gender on output variables.
of recycling at all while many others reported not getting such
Significant results due to differences in age are given in Table 7.
messages on a regular basis. Also, almost two thirds of the respondents
Although all questionnaire items listed in this table indicate
reported not finding recycling to be convenient for them and think
statistically significant differences among the different age groups,
that there are not enough paper recycling bins.
these differences are negligible in real-life terms.

Question Response Percentage

In the last month 16%

How recent have you received
In the last 6 months 27%

Adv Recycling Waste Manag, an open access journal Volume 2 • Issue 2 • 1000124
ISSN: 2475-7675
Citation: Bendak S, Attili AB (2017) Consumers Attitude and Behavior Towards Domestic Waste Recycling in Developing Countries: A Case
Study. Adv Recycling Waste Manag 2: 124. doi:10.4172/2475-7675.1000124

Page 6 of 8

Mean p-value
Question
<20 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 >60

Statement 2 4.412 4.244 4.445 4.477 4.421 4.304 0.004

Statement 3 4.265 4.446 4.555 4.548 4.491 4.13 0.004

Statement 5 4.471 4.539 4.49 4.503 4.395 4.043 0.01

Statement 7 4.235 4.279 4.249 4.29 4.018 3.913 0.02

Statement 8 4.265 4.167 4.351 4.465 4.491 4.13 0

Statement 9 4.618 4.496 4.465 4.49 4.526 4.043 0.036

Statement 10 0.824 0.915 0.735 0.639 0.684 0.739 0.002

Statement 13 4.176 3.903 4.065 4.219 4.149 3.739 0.001

Metals 1.118 1.267 1.102 1.116 1.114 1.13 0.018

Textiles 2.529 2.473 2.02 2.2 2.351 2.261 0.031

How convenient 3.5 3.279 3.4 3.484 4.035 3.478 0

Paper recycling bins 1.882 1.93 1.918 1.903 2.149 2 0.01

Recent information 3.324 2.761 3.069 2.942 3.535 3.174 0

Table 7: Significant age effects on output variables.

Significant results due to differences in nationality are given in Table Plastic 1.398 1.416 1.767 1.172 1.283 0.001
8. Although all questionnaire items listed in this table indicated
statistically significant differences among the different nationality Glass 1.222 1.247 1.5 1.11 1 0
groups, these differences are negligible in real-life terms. Nevertheless,
Textiles 2.69 2.325 2.2 1.752 1.585 0
it can be noted, however, that North American/European respondents
recorded greater statement agreement rates than all other groups in all How
six statements. This might reflect the greater awareness about Convenient 2.898 3.623 3.533 3.641 4.208 0
environmental issues among this group than other groups of
respondents. Also, UAE nationals reported a notably greater textile Table 8: Significant nationality effects on output variables.
recycling rate than other groups followed by Arab and North
American/European respondents. Significant results due to differences in education level and marital
status are given in Tables 9 and Table 10 respectively. Although all
p- questionnaire items listed in these two tables indicate statistically
Mean value
Question
significant differences due to education level and marital status, these
Nth America/ differences were negligible in real-life terms
UAE Arab Asian Other
Europe
Mean p-value
Statement 1 4.583 4.642 4.667 4.697 4.811 0.039
Question
High school Master or
Diploma Bachelor
Statement 2 4.319 4.351 4.567 4.503 4.396 0.044 or lower higher

Statement 5 4.505 4.449 4.833 4.524 4.302 0.004 Statement 13 3.98 4.283 4.026 4.093 0.027

Statement 7 4.31 4.234 4.433 4.124 3.962 0.015 Plastics 1.389 1.38 1.335 1.685 0.022

Statement 11 4.134 4.239 4.533 4.317 4.151 0.012

Table 9: Significant education level effects on output variables.
Statement 13 3.991 4.062 4.4 4.103 3.868 0.04

Mean Signature
Question
Single Married Divorced

Statement 6 4.227 4.171 3.2 0.022

Adv Recycling Waste Manag, an open access journal Volume 2 • Issue 2 • 1000124
ISSN: 2475-7675
Citation: Bendak S, Attili AB (2017) Consumers Attitude and Behavior Towards Domestic Waste Recycling in Developing Countries: A Case
Study. Adv Recycling Waste Manag 2: 124. doi:10.4172/2475-7675.1000124
Statement 7 4.18 4.249
Statement 8 4.129 4.387
Statement 10 2.258 2.114
Statement 11 4.067 4.284
Statement 12 3.897 4.005
Aluminum 1.206 1.09
Metals 1.268 1.127
Paper recycling 1.923 1.956
Table 10: Significant Marital status effects on output variables.
Discussion
Results of the current study suggest that only a small percentage of
people recycle domestic waste. This happens despite reporting being
aware of the deterioration in environmental quality and that recycling
preserves resources and protects the environment.
For any recycling program to be effective, positive perceptions of
consumers (i.e., the general public) towards recycling should be
translated to a positive recycling behaviour. However, results of the
current study give a different picture. These results confirm that there
is a disconnection between the attitude towards recycling and the
actual behaviour of consumers in UAE. Participants to this study in
general have a positive attitude towards recycling but, at the same time,
the majority of them reported that they do not recycle. The positive
perception and attitudes towards recycling among respondents is not
translated to high level of participation in recycling.
This disconnection between attitude and behaviour might be due to
some obstacles. One of those obstacles was investigated in the question
“What would encourage your participation in recycling?” It is clear
from the responses that long distance to recycling bins and lack of
enough recycling bins is playing a negative role in respondents
recycling habits. Many respondents confirmed their willingness to
recycle as long as they have better accessibility and shorter distances to
recycling bins.
Responses to the distributed questionnaire clearly show that the
internet is the prime source of information on recycling in the country.
This result is somehow anticipated given the fact that almost all people
in the UAE have access to the internet. Nevertheless, other means, like
radio/TV channels, posters, newspaper articles and school/university
education should not be neglected as they still play an important role
in spreading the message of recycling.
An interesting outcome of the current study is the high recycling
rate of clothes as compared to all other recyclable items. This result
may be attributed to the fact that many charity organizations put cloth
recycling bins in shopping centers and public places. This encourages
many people to donate their used clothes to charities instead of
throwing them away. Then, these charities usually clean and repair the
clothes and distribute them to the needy. This result indicates that any
recycling program has the potential to succeed in the country if
planned and executed properly in terms of both publicity and
accessibility.
Adv Recycling Waste Manag, an open access journal
ISSN: 2475-7675
Page 7 of 8
2.8 0
4 0
3.2 0.037
3.8 0
3.2 0.039
1 0.009
1 0.009
2.6 0.042
Results also show that there is public support for regulating
recycling and introducing laws that would govern the recycling
process. Currently there are no laws in UAE that govern recycling and
the process is left to individual users and operators. Introducing such
laws is essential to enhance the practice of recycling and govern it.
Conclusions
The rapid increase in waste production is a major environmental
problem affecting environmental quality and the quality of life of
people. Recycling is considered to be one of the solutions to this
problem. However, there is a lack of published research studies that
assessed domestic waste recycling attitude and practices among people
in many developing countries including UAE. The aim of the current
study was to investigate this issue though randomly distributing a
structured and specially tailored questionnaire to 989 participants.
It was found that there is a gap between consumers attitude toward
recycling and their actual behaviour and practices. Results indicate
that some of the obstacles to people’s participation in recycling is not
finding enough recycling bins and the long distance to those bins.
Results of the current study also indicate that the message of recycling
is not reaching some sections of the society.
In order to create a culture for sustainability and a society that
considers recycling to be one of its daily practices, three aspects are
essential: education, publicity and promotion. These three aspects are
essential for any recycling scheme to succeed [19]. Results of the
current study show that there is a lack of awareness on domestic waste
recycling among large sections of the UAE society. This lack of
awareness needs to be addressed when trying to improve domestic
waste recycling behaviour and practices of consumers through well-
planned and executed continuous public awareness campaigns. This is
a big challenge in countries like UAE given the diversity of nationalities
that live in UAE and the languages spoken. Therefore, government and
non-governmental agencies are recommended to intensify their
recycling awareness campaigns taking into consideration this diversity
in languages spoken.
One of the ways governments can pursue to increase domestic waste
recycling rates is to introduce mandatory waste collection laws. Such
laws set recycling targets for cities to aim for. This is usually done in
setting a certain percentage of a material to be diverted from the
general waste stream to be recycled by a target date. The city is then
responsible for working to meet this target [4]. This can only be
Volume 2 • Issue 2 • 1000124
Citation: Bendak S, Attili AB (2017) Consumers Attitude and Behavior Towards Domestic Waste Recycling in Developing Countries: A Case
Study. Adv Recycling Waste Manag 2: 124. doi:10.4172/2475-7675.1000124
achieved after improving accessibility to recycling bins for the general
public by increasing their numbers and changing their locations to suit
more potential users.
Another way governments can pursue to increase domestic
recycling rates is to legislate to impose a surcharge on the price of
items when sold in recyclable bottles and containers. This legislation
usually involves offering a refund upon returning these items (typically
glass, plastic or metal) to a collection point. Such programs have been
reported to be very successful in improving recycling rate of those
items for up to 80 percent [4].
It is clear from the literature review that there is a scarcity of
research in areas related to consumers’ attitude and behaviour on
recycling in developing countries including UAE. More research is
recommended in this area. Also, it is recommended that municipalities
should collect and publish statistics on recycling volumes. Without
such statistics, any progress in recycling effort and practices cannot be
detected.
Limitations of Study
This current study concentrates on domestic waste recycling in
UAE. More research is needed on consumers’ attitude and behaviour
towards recycling of other types of waste. Also, results of the current
study are based on surveying a limited number of people. Thus, these
results should be taken cautiously keeping in mind that no previous
published articles exist in this area to do any comparisons.
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